Public holidays 2026 and 2027, ready for the roster
Every national public holiday on the day it is observed, the 12 regional anniversary days, and the one rule rosters get wrong most often: Mondayisation is decided per employee, not per business. 5 of the 2027 holidays fall on a weekend, so 2027 is the year to get it right.
National public holidays 2026
Eleven days. "Falls on" is the calendar date; "Observed on" is the day off for an employee who would not otherwise have worked the weekend date.
| Holiday | Falls on | Observed on | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Thursday 1 January | Thursday 1 January | |
| Day after New Year's Day | Friday 2 January | Friday 2 January | |
| Waitangi Day | Friday 6 February | Friday 6 February | |
| Good Friday | Friday 3 April (set each year) | Friday 3 April | |
| Easter Monday | Monday 6 April (set each year) | Monday 6 April | |
| ANZAC Day | Saturday 25 April | Monday 27 April | Mondayised for anyone who does not usually work that Saturday |
| King's Birthday | Monday 1 June (set each year) | Monday 1 June | |
| Matariki | Friday 10 July (set each year) | Friday 10 July | |
| Labour Day | Monday 26 October (set each year) | Monday 26 October | |
| Christmas Day | Friday 25 December | Friday 25 December | |
| Boxing Day | Saturday 26 December | Monday 28 December | Mondayised for anyone who does not usually work that Saturday |
National public holidays 2027
Eleven days. "Falls on" is the calendar date; "Observed on" is the day off for an employee who would not otherwise have worked the weekend date.
| Holiday | Falls on | Observed on | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Friday 1 January | Friday 1 January | |
| Day after New Year's Day | Saturday 2 January | Monday 4 January | Mondayised for anyone who does not usually work that Saturday |
| Waitangi Day | Saturday 6 February | Monday 8 February | Mondayised for anyone who does not usually work that Saturday |
| Good Friday | Friday 26 March (set each year) | Friday 26 March | |
| Easter Monday | Monday 29 March (set each year) | Monday 29 March | |
| ANZAC Day | Sunday 25 April | Monday 26 April | Mondayised for anyone who does not usually work that Sunday |
| King's Birthday | Monday 7 June (set each year) | Monday 7 June | |
| Matariki | Friday 25 June (set each year) | Friday 25 June | |
| Labour Day | Monday 25 October (set each year) | Monday 25 October | |
| Christmas Day | Saturday 25 December | Monday 27 December | Mondayised for anyone who does not usually work that Saturday |
| Boxing Day | Sunday 26 December | Tuesday 28 December | Mondayised for anyone who does not usually work that Sunday |
Regional anniversary days
Each region observes its own anniversary day in the locality where the employee works. These are the observed dates; the rule column is how the day is usually set.
| Region | Usually observed | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wellington | Monday closest to 22 January | Monday 19 January | Monday 25 January |
| Auckland | Monday closest to 29 January | Monday 26 January | Monday 1 February |
| Nelson | Monday closest to 1 February | Monday 2 February | Monday 1 February |
| Taranaki | Second Monday in March | Monday 9 March | Monday 8 March |
| Otago | No fixed rule; set by local agreement or custom, historically near 23 March | Monday 23 March | Monday 22 March |
| Southland | Easter Tuesday | Tuesday 7 April | Tuesday 30 March |
| South Canterbury | Fourth Monday in September | Monday 28 September | Monday 27 September |
| Hawke's Bay | Friday before Labour Day | Friday 23 October | Friday 22 October |
| Marlborough | Monday after Labour Day | Monday 2 November | Monday 1 November |
| Canterbury | Second Friday after the first Tuesday in November (Show Day) | Friday 13 November | Friday 12 November |
| Westland | Varies locally; Greymouth observes the Monday closest to 1 December | Monday 30 November | Monday 29 November |
| Chatham Islands | Monday closest to 30 November | Monday 30 November | Monday 29 November |
Source: Employment New Zealand: public holidays and anniversary dates, read 17 September 2026. Employment New Zealand notes that its published dates may contain unintentional errors and suggests checking with your local council for the most reliable date.
Mondayisation is per employee
Three things the roster has to get right around a public holiday.
It moves only for the people who would not have worked that day
Under s45 and s45A of the Holidays Act 2003, when New Year's Day, Day after New Year's Day, Waitangi Day, ANZAC Day, Christmas Day or Boxing Day falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the holiday is treated as falling on the following Monday (or Tuesday, when the Monday is already a holiday) for an employee who would not otherwise have worked that weekend day. An employee who would normally have worked the Saturday or Sunday keeps the holiday on the calendar date. Nobody gets both days.
So one date can be two different days on one roster
On ANZAC Day 2026, Saturday 25 April is the public holiday for the person who usually works Saturdays and Monday 27 April is the public holiday for the person who does not. The tables above show both dates. A roster that records who was down to work is how you tell the two apart at payroll time.
Working on a public holiday
Anyone who works any part of a public holiday is paid at least time and a half for the hours worked (s50), and if the day would otherwise have been a working day for them they also earn an alternative holiday (s56). Where it is unclear whether a day would otherwise be a working day, s12(3) says the employer’s rosters and similar systems are among the things to consider. An employer can require work on a public holiday only where the employment agreement provides for it.
Source: Holidays Act 2003, sections 12(3), 45, 45A, 50 and 56. This is general information, not legal advice. For specific situations, talk to an employment law specialist or your advisor.
Add these to a roster
The free roster generator marks the national public holidays on any week you build, on the days they are observed, and inserts the rest and meal breaks for each shift length (see the break calculator). Regional anniversary days are not marked; add a note for your region.
Build a roster with these holidays markedPublic holiday questions, answered
- Is Boxing Day 2026 Mondayised?
- Yes. 26 December 2026 is a Saturday, so for an employee who would not otherwise work that Saturday the holiday is observed on Monday 28 December 2026. An employee who normally works Saturdays keeps Saturday 26 December as their public holiday. Christmas Day 2026 is a Friday and is not moved. In 2027 Christmas Day falls on a Saturday and Boxing Day on a Sunday, so they are observed on Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December for the people who do not work weekends.
- Which anniversary day applies to my business?
- The anniversary day observed in the locality where the employee works, which is usually the region the workplace is in. The regional table above lists the day each region observes in 2026 and 2027 and how it is usually set, with the same source note about checking with the local council.
- Do casual staff get public holidays?
- A casual employee who works on a public holiday is paid at least time and a half for the hours worked, like anyone else. Whether they also earn an alternative holiday, or are paid for a public holiday they did not work, depends on whether the day would otherwise have been a working day for them, which for casual staff comes down to their actual pattern of work; the roster is part of that evidence. This is general information, not legal advice. For specific situations, talk to an employment law specialist or your advisor.
- Can I roster someone on a public holiday?
- Only where their employment agreement provides for work on public holidays, or they agree to it. If they work, they are paid at least time and a half for the hours worked and, if it was an otherwise working day for them, they earn an alternative holiday. This is general information, not legal advice. For specific situations, talk to an employment law specialist or your advisor.
- Does Clockie mark these on the roster?
- The Clockie roster grid shades the 11 national public holidays automatically on the days they are observed, for 2024 to 2031, and the free roster generator does the same for any week you build. Regional anniversary days are not marked, because they depend on where each location is; use this page for those.
The roster is your public holiday evidence
In Clockie the roster lives next to the time clock: the grid shades each public holiday, publishing records who was rostered, and the Rostered vs Actual report shows who worked. Rostering is included in every plan.
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